Services

Providence Health Care offers a number of services, programs and units to meet the care needs of patients living with kidney disease.

Kidney Care Clinic

The Kidney Care Clinic (KCC) was established at St. Paul's Hospital in 1999 and it is the longest running program of its kind in Canada. The clinic offers four interdisciplinary clinics per week and currently cares for more than 1,200 patients at varying stages of kidney disease. In addition to caring for patients in BC’s lower mainland, the clinic supports patients and programs in geographically distant or remote locations, including Yukon.

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Integrated Care Clinic

It is quite common for patients to have both kidney disease and diabetes. For some patients with renal disease, the Integrated Care Clinic at St. Paul’s can help improve communication and coordination of patient care, reduce duplication of medical appointments and testing, and provide more integrated education and self-management support.

Patients can be referred to the Integrated Care Clinic by their nephrologist. Through the clinic, they have access to both kidney and diabetes specialists, as well as a knowledgeable team of nurses, pharmacists, dieticians and social workers.

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Vascular Access Clinic

The Vascular Access Clinic creates, monitors and maintains vascular access for hemodialysis. The clinic provides assessment, surgery, post-surgery care and ongoing monitoring.

The clinic team consists of surgeons, nephrologists, vascular access nurses, radiologists and program and administrative staff. Patients having a vascular access created will receive either a fistula or graft, depending on their assessment.

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Hemodialysis unit at St. Paul’s Hospital

The In-Centre Hemodialysis Unit at St. Paul's Hospital is the largest in British Columbia. The unit has 42 hemodialysis stations (beds) that serve both inpatients and outpatients.

The unit provides a range of services. This includes:

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Community Dialysis Units

Providence Health Care operates seven community dialysis units across Vancouver and the Coastal regions in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. These units are located in Vancouver, East Vancouver, North Shore, Powell River (qathet Community Dialysis Unit), Richmond, Sechelt and Squamish.

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Independent Dialysis

The Providence Health Care Renal Program supports eligible patients to manage their own hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis treatments. This is appealing for many patients because it gives them more control over the location, timing, frequency and duration of their dialysis treatments.

Patients are referred through the Renal Program at Providence Health Care or Vancouver General Hospital.

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Visitor Hemodialysis Program

The Visitor Dialysis Program provides dialysis treatment to traveling dialysis patients. Our inter-professional team includes registered nurses, renal technicians, nephrologists, nurse practitioners, registered dietitians and social workers. We are a teaching hospital and care providers may include learners from all disciplines in various stages of their program of study.

Traveling dialysis patients can visit the Dialysis Unit at St. Paul’s Hospital to receive dialysis services in downtown Vancouver.

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Therapeutic Plasma Exchange

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), also known as plasmapheresis, is a process used to filter toxic substances out of a patient’s blood plasma. TPE is used in the treatment of a variety of kidney diseases, as well as other conditions of the immune system. In a process that takes about two hours, the blood is drawn and channeled through a machine that separates out the plasma and replaces it with a plasma substitute. The treated blood is then pumped back into the patient’s bloodstream.

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Kidney Transplant Program

St. Paul's Hospital is one of two adult kidney transplant centres in BC. Patients who are potential kidney transplant candidates are referred by their kidney specialist for assessment and information about transplantation. The Kidney Transplant Program at St. Paul’s works closely with several key partners, including BC Transplant, the BC Renal Agency, Canadian Blood Services and the Provincial Health Services Authority.

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Living Kidney Donor Program

Providence Health Care’s Living Kidney Donor Program assesses and educates individuals wishing to be considered as a living kidney donor. There are three ways to be a living kidney donor:

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Post-Transplant Clinic

Patients who receive a new kidney require ongoing post transplant care and support. The Post-Transplant Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital is an outpatient service providing follow-up and support to patients and their families for the entire life of their new kidney. Services are offered to post kidney transplant patients from across BC and Yukon.

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In-patient care

The Nephrology/Urology Inpatient Unit at St. Paul’s Hospital provides a wide range of specialized care for patients with kidney disease and for kidney transplant patients.

In addition to 15 in-patient nephrology/urology beds, there are six beds devoted to renal medical/surgical short stay procedures.

Contact Us

Nephrology/Urology Inpatient Unit
St. Paul's Hospital
6B Providence Building
1081 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-682-2344 local 62290
Fax: 604-806-8240

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Allied Health/ Support Services

Providence Health Care’s Renal Program provides a wide range of allied health and support services to help patients manage their health and cope with their illness. These vital services are available across our programs and clinics.

On this page:

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Refer a patient

Information for community health providers wishing to refer a newly-diagnosed patient to PHC’s Renal Program.

Visitor Dialysis Program

Our world-class Renal Program offers services to travellers who need dialysis while they are in Vancouver.

Support us

Help us further patient care innovations and kidney research through a designated gift to the Renal Program.